Current-controller for igniting devices for hydrocarbon-engines.



No. 816,083. PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

P. O. PARWELL. R IGNITING DEVICES FOR HYDROOARBON ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1904.

CURRENT CONTROLLER F0 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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No. 816,083. PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

F. O. PARWELL. CURRENT CONTROLLER FOR IGNITING DEVICES FOR HYDROCARB APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 21, 1904.

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No. 816,083. PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

F. 0. PARWELL. I CURRENT CONTROLLER FOR IGNITIN APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1904.

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G DEVICES FOR HYDROCARBON ENGINES.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

FAY O. FARWELL, OF 'DUBUQUE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE ADAMS COMPANY, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

CURRENT-CONTROLLER FOR IGNITING'DEVICES l'OR HY DROCARBON-ENGINES.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 27,1906.

Application filed October 21, 1904. Serial No. 229 4:15. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FAY O-. FARWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubuque, county of Dubuque, State of Iowa,

have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Current-Controllers for Igniting Devices for Hydrocarbon-Engines and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and .use the same.

This invention relates to igniting devices for hydrocarbon-engines, and has for its object to provide a simple and efiicien-t apparatus for automatically firing the explosive charge of a hydrocarbon-engine at the proper time when the speed of the engine varies, the device being so constructed and arranged that as the speed of the engine increases the length of time that contact is established will be commensurately increased and, furthermore, the contact will be broken sharply and abruptly irrespective of the speed of the engine, so as to insure sparks of equal intensity for all speeds.

It is well known that a hydrocarbon-engine develops the greatest efficiency when the explosion takes place immediately after the piston commences its upward stroke after 'having passed the dead-center on the compression-stroke'. "It -i's also well known that after the primary circuit of the spark has been closed it takes a certain time before the 7 of a revolution, greater or smaller, according to the speed of the engine, before the charge is completely exploded. It has been found, for instance, that when an engine is making a "speed of one hundred revolutions per minute it will turn something like one thirty-sixth of a revolution after each contact before the explosion takes place, and if the engine were run at one thousand revolutions per minute it would i make as much as one-sixth of a revolution after each contact before the corresponding explosion ensues. Therefore to get the best efficiency from a hydrocarbon-engine that is to be run at varying speeds the time of contact with respect to the revolution of the engine must be varied. In common practice this is done by hand. The present invention is 'de signed to vary the contact of the primary circuit automatically. It is also common practice to make the contact long enough for the highest speed but under these conditions it will be seen that when the engineis run slowly the contact would be maintained for a period much longer than necessary, and therefore entail a considerable Waste of current. By regulating not only the time of contact, but the duration thereof, the present invention also serves to effect the greatest possible economy with respect to the battery-current. In operating spark-coils without a vibrator effective operation is dependent upon a quick rapid separation of the contact-points to produce a spark. If the separation of the contacts is slow or gradual, a proper tension is not produced, and the spark is of little effect in firing the explosive charge; The present invention, in addition to the features above mentioned, contemplates the provision of means for producing a rapid separation of the contactpoints, and consequently a fat or heavy spark even when the engine is turned very slowly, as in starting by hand. 4

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device, shovn'ng the contact in position for the earliest and.

longest period. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the contact in position for the latest and shortest period. Fig. 3 is a corresponding view with the contact broken. Fig. 4 is a section on line Y Y of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line Z Z of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the governor-weights in closed position. Fig. 7 is a corresponding view of the weights in expanded position. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a multiple igniting device of the same general character.

' In the drawings, A is a driving-shaft or member which is connected by gearing or otherwise to the engine so that it may be rotated at the pro er speed to produce the contact,asfre uent ydesired. Secureon the upper end of t e shaft A is a disk A, upon which are mounted two driving-studs a a. Surrounding the upper end of the shaft is the hub B of a casing B, which surrounds and incloses the entire mechanism, Thesaid hub is preferably journaled in a bracket or sup- Pivoted to the studs a a are thegovernor-- weights 0 c, which are ada ted to swing upon their respective pivots rom the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7.

Pivoted to the top of the shaftA is a camdisk D, having two downwardly-projecting studs D and D secured therein in such relation as to engage recesses c c in the governorweights 0 c. Extending from the periphery of the cam D'is a short cam projection d, which is adapted to engage at one-point of its revolution with a roller E, which is supported in a bracket E, which in turn is mounted upon the end of a spring E the other end of which is secured tothe frame or casing B by means of a set-screw bl The tendency of the spring E is to force'the roller E into contact with the periphery of the disk D. Secured ,to the s ring E is a contact-point e, forming one of t e terminals of the primary circuit of the spark-coil. The cooperating point f is mounted in an adjusting-screw F, which passes through a brass conducting-strip F,

to which theconducting-wire F forming a branch of the primary circuit, is secured bya thumb -nut F, the screw F being insulated from the frame Bby means of a fiber or rubber block G. V

The studs ac, upon which thegovernorweights 0 c are pivoted, are passed through segmental slots (1 in the cam-disk-D, and one 7 of these studs is engaged by a spring H, whichis secured to the top of the disk D and is adapted to hold the disk with some resistance from rotating faster than the shaft A.

On theouter edge of the governor-weight c is a projection c, which when the weights are expanded, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, increases or adds to the length of the cam d by an amount substantially commensurate with the speed of the engine, thereby holding the contact-points e and f together for a longer period than they would be held by th cam (1 alone. 'In the top of the cam-disk D is a pin (1 placed in such position that when the spring H is in contact with it the end of said spring Will be so held with respect to the slot (1 that substantially'one-fourth of thelength of said slot may be traversed by the pin a a before the latterjcomes in contact with thespring,

the object of which construction will be hereinafter explained. 4

Th operation of the device as above described is substantially as follows: The shaft A, and withit all of the rotatory parts, in-.

turned byhand and the speed is very slow.

ConsequentlydiskD has a correspondinglyout from under the roller E by the action of slow rotatory motion, and the cam 01 engages roller E and forces the latter, with its spring E outward until contacts e and f are brought together. This condition is maintained while the short cam (1 li es under the roller E, and a line drawn through the centers ofdisk D and roller E would pass through the stud a, as shown in Fig. 2. A slight further movement of the disk D, however, would cause the roller E to begin to descend thev side of the cam d, and the pressure of'the spring E would cause disk D and cam (Z' to move quickly forward in the direction in which it is rotating-that is to say, the force of spring E applied to thedisk D would accelerate the movement of the latter beyond the normal speed imparted thereto from v dicated by the angular distance between lines 1 and '2 the movement of the cam would be represented b the angular dis tance between lines 1 an 3 for the same period of time. Thus the cam Wouldbe forced spring E and the contacts ef would be separated by a quick snappy action, which would of course produce a heavy s ark. It will be seen, furthermore, that t 's quick separation of the contacts will take place independently of the speed'of the engine, so that a practicallyuniform spark will be produced whether the enginelbe turning slowly or rapidly. As the speed of the engine in- .creases centrifugal force will tend to throw the governor-weightsc c outward from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that in Fig.,-7

too

thereby causing the cam-disk and the cam d to beadvanced in the direction of rotation and also causing the projection c to extend beyond the periphery of the disk D, and 1 thereby add its length to that of the cam d,

causing the contact-points e and-f not only to a be brought into engagement at an earlier point in the revolution of the shaft A, but also causing them to remain in contact for a longer part of the revolution. When the speed of the engine decreases, the spring H pressing against the pin a moves the disk D in the directiono posite to its rotation, and thereby returns t e cam d thereon to a position where the charge will be ignited at a later period. a 1

As the entire frame B V is journaled on its, hub B in thesupportB it may be conven iently swung around for properly locatingthe spark with reference to the stroke of the en'- gine, for which the frame is secured in posi, tion by means of the rod I; This swinging movement of the frame may also be employed with advanta e when it is desired to have a late spark whi e the engine is running fast, by which means the speed of the engine is sometimes governed or controlled.

When it is desired to employ the above-desired igniting device upon a multiple-cylinder engine, the casing B is made of sufficient size to contain a number of contacts corresponding to the number of engine-cylinders. In Fig, 8, for example, there is illustrated an igniter for a four-cylinder engine, the contacts being equally spaced within the casing B around the shaft A, so that each of the movable contacts will be operated upon at the proper time by the rotation of cam-disk D and the governor-weights c c.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is V V 1. An igniting device for hydrocarbon-engines, comprising normally separated contacts, a rotatory driven member adapted to engage one of said contacts to bring the con tacts together, a driving member for said rotatory driven member, the latter being capable of a limited rotatory movement independent of its driver, means connected with the movable contact to accelerate the movement of the rotatory driven 'member after the latter has brought said contacts together, whereby the contacts will be quickly separated, and means for regulating the period of engagement of the contacts to maintain such period substantially constant for various speeds of the engine.

2. An igniting device for hydrocarbon-engines, comprising normally separated contacts, a rotatory disk having a'cam adapted 5o engage'one of said contacts to bring the contacts together, a driving-shaft for said disk, connections between the disk and shaft to per- :nit a limited independent rotatory movement of the disk, a sprin connected with the movable contact to'acce erate the movement of the disk after thela'tter has brought said contacts together, whereby the contacts will be quickly separated, and means for regulating the period of engagement of the contacts to maintain such period substantially constant for various speeds of the engine.

3. An igniting dev1ce for hydrocarbon-engines, comprising normally separated contacts, a rotatory member adapted to engage one of said contacts to bring the contacts gather, a driving member for said rotatory member, connections between the'driving and rotatory members to permit a limited nde pendent rotatory movement of said rotatory member, a centrifugal governor operated by the driving member to move the rotatory member in relation to the driving member, whereby the contact will be made at a time earlier or later in the movement of the drivmember, means connected with the mov- 1n alfie contact to accelerate the movement of the rotatory member after the, latter has broughtsaid contacts together, and means for regulating the period of engagement of the contacts to maintain such period substantially constant forvarious speeds of the engine. 7

' I 4. An igniting device for hydrocarbon-e11- gines, comprising normally separated contacts, a driving member, a rotatory member having a pin-and-slot connection with the driving member to permit a limited independent motion of the rotatory member, means on the rotatory member to bring said contacts together, means connected with the movable contact to accelerate the movement of the rotatory member after the latter has brought the contacts together, whereby the contact-s will be quickly separated, and means for regulating the period of engagement of the contacts to maintain such period substantially constant for various speeds of the enginel 5. An igniting device for hydrocarlmn-engines, comprising normally separated contacts, a rotatory disk having a cam adapted to engage one of said contacts to bring the contacts together, a driving member for said disk, pin-and-slot connections between the I speeds of the engin 6. An igniting device for hydrocarbon-engines, comprising normally separated contacts, a rotatory member adapted to engage one of said contacts to bring the contacts to gether, a driving member for said rotatory member, pin-and-slot connections between the driving and rotatory members to permit a limited independent rotatory movement of .said rotatory member, a centrifugal governor operated by the driving member to move the rotatory member in relation to the driving member, whereby the contact will be made at a time earlier or later in the movement of the drivin member, means connected with -the mova'b e contact to accelerate the movement of the rotatory member after the latter has brought said contacts together, and means for regulating the eriod of engagement of the contacts to maintain such period substantially constant. for various speeds of the engine.

7. An igniting device for hydrocarbonen- ,gines, comprising a fixed contact and a movable spring-contact, a driving-shaft rotated at a speed having a fixed relation to the speed of the engine, a disk free to rotate to a limited extent faster or slower than said shaft, a cam or projection on said disk adapted to engage the spring-contact to close thecontacts, and a Wei ht-arm interposed between the shaft and t e disk and o crating by centrifugal force to move the lsk with respect to the shaft, said weight-arm havinga projection with respect to the rotation of the shaft and cooperating with the cam on the disk all'so constructed and arranged that the weight armcontrols the length oftime of contact the spri'n -contac t accelerates the movement of the dis toseeure a qiiiok breakiatftlie contacts.

or slower than said shaft, a short ,projection' or cam on said disk adaptedto engage the movable contact and close the contacts for a short period, two weight-arms'interposed between the-shaft and disk,,1said Wei ht arms affected by centrifugal force and a apted to move said disk in relation to said shaft, a projection or cam on one of said Weight-arms adapted to move-out and add to the length of the cam on said disk, whereby the length of time of the electrical contact vvillbe made longer or shorter.

" 9 igniting device for gas or gasolene englnes, comprising normally separated con- ,tacts, adriving-sh'aft rotated at a speed that has a fixedrelation to thespeed of the engine,

a diskconnected to said driving-shaft, a projection or cafn on said diskadapted to engage the movable contact and close the contacts,

one or more weighted 'arms securedto said disk, and a projection 01' cam on one of said arms adapted to be moved by centrifugal force and add 'its length-to the cam on said disk, whereby an electrical contact fora longer or shorter period will he made. v

In testimony whereof-I afiixmy signature in presence of two'witnesses.

FAY o. FARWEYLL.

v Witnesses! GEORGE WEa MoUTH, From) A. OATEY. 

